Saturday, October 17, 2015

Each year I return to Krabi, its serenity and beauty never fail to amaze -- Breath-taking and the first trip I took without staying connected with the world. No data card, and the best of all, the hotel we've booked and stayed in (Aree Tara Resort, Ao Nang, Krabi) does not offer free wi-fi in the rooms, only in the lobby. Great disconnection right there!

It takes around 2 hours to make it from to summit to the peak of the mountain, and another 2 hours or slightly less back down - the trek is not exactly the easiest, but you definitely don't require professional hiking gear. I've seen families with young and old who've attempted the hike as well. With this hike, it's best to start early in the morning or noon, to ensure you return back to base before sunset/ night fall -- As it gets pretty dark with all the trees and vision may be impaired. Please be extremely careful with the hike, the stones and rocks require a heap of concentration!

There are 2 viewpoints when you reach the top, both equally breath-taking if you're a nature or hike lover. Head up further into the hike you'll reach an intersection of The View from the Peak or Waterfall. After a long strenuous hike -- We decided to choose the fall, but it was such a bad decision as it wasn't something that you could soak in, except to look at what seemed like natural water dripping from a cliff-like structure. Bad turn, we headed back but had no time to head up to the peak to catch the view before it was too late to head back down. But the stream that you'll see at the start, made it all up. Cooling & captivating! Such a mini emerald-pool, the dip, soak of water and relaxation was definitely worth it.

This is not the end, please allow me to refine this journal with videos and xiaomi yi action camera pictures to spice the itinerary in Krabi up a little!

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

If you're not already shopping online, you should be... Here are some reasons why:

1. You get to compare prices to save every dime and penny
2. You get unbeatable deals right at your doorstep!
3. Perks of spending x hours window shopping online
- ogling at what might fit or what you might need
4. It has gone smart, and mobile savvy that online shopping is now made possible - even on the go!
5. Lastly, you'll never stop at once. Just like how you'll never stop at 1 beer!

So if you haven't already heard, Lazada Singapore is currently having another Big App Sale Day, where you would be able to find amazing deals at unbeatable prices! I kid you not... All you need to do is to download their app (if you do not already have it) from the 27th to 30th August & SHOP.

Why should you download their app?

It is so much easier to browse and shop on the go when you're on the lookout for anything you want. For example, when I'm in the gym and we start talking about protein, *whips out phone and keys in "whey protein" on Lazada app*... And then we have the next 15 minutes discussing on the price offered by GNC and other proteins there are in the market and where we could get the best deals. So easy & fuss-free.

See someone with an electric scooter on the train and you'd like to find out how much it costs on an average to own one? Whip out the app, key in electric scooter and you'll see an entire range from $290 and above. Ta-dah.

I have been shopping quite a fair bit of items for home-use, some gadgets and beauty products on various online e-commerce stores - and Lazada has been one of them which I've managed to snag a few awesome steals, as written in my previous post here. While Luxola & Qoo10 remains one of my favourite online shopping sites for Korean Beauty & Skincare Products, Lazada tops the choice to be a one-stop shop destination that offers me an array of products I may choose from for my family, home and friends.

To name some of the items I bought previously that I loved - Alumnium Portable Table, Pull Up Bar, 20KG Chrome Dumbbells, Kessler Pressure Cooker (Read more here)

I've also recently purchased my grandma's and my favourite - The Nutribullet Blender. I've been eyeing it for the longgesttttt time and I couldn't resist. Got it off at a pretty awesome deal and I do not regret. It came neatly packed, with 12 other parts and many other bottles I could use (so much better than shake-n-take in my opinion) and stronger!

Now I get nutriblasts and amazing blended fruit drinks daily, where my grandmother will prepare a bowl of chopped fruits, carrots and celery & share the drink with me. The Nutribullet 600W/900W is definitely worth an investment, easy cleaning and saves a lot of time. I'd only recommend the things that I love and I'll buy, and this is one of them :)

Not amazing enough? From 27th to 30th August, download their App and get even bigger discounts while you shop!

b. Or, you may head over to app store/ play store, search for Lazada Singapore and download their app. Now you're ready to head into a 4-day discovery tour of one of the best deals in town!

That's not all... Santa came early and I'll be picking 5 lucky winners to win a $10 voucher each so that you can shop on Lazada Singapore with a happy face :) You may log your entries in the giveaway below - Winners will be picked after 30th August and notified via email, as well as on the widget!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, July 24, 2015

How have you been? I've been pretty caught up with this term that we share in common - Life. Who doesn't, really?

The past 2 weeks have been pretty awesome. Let me elaborate - My dad returned for his annual leave, made a 10 days plan to drop by and watch me graduate, attend my convocation, patiently waited for me to end work every single day so that we could have simple dinners together, spending time trying to save money this trip and some mini luggage shopping, accompanied me on the day I had a flea market and bought me sandwiches because I didn't feel like eating anything else...

Mom & Dad show their love in different ways for many different people. Some parents do it differently, but that's how my parents do it. They care for their children and in turn, one day we'll care for them like how they care for us too. In my family, I'd like to extend this love and care to my Popo and my uncle who have been living with me since I was a kid, and they play a huge role in my entire growing up process. The ones who've never failed to motivate, to make sure all that illness would be taken care of. I am indeed, lucky to have came so far to where I am today. Parents & Family will always be That Pillar, regardless how old we've grown or regardless how self-sufficient we are. They would always give the extra to make sure we're okay. And that is being the bigger person, putting others before themselves and that's where I'd like to be one-day.

Because without them, I'd only crumble and fall.

Apart from them, my past 2 months revolved around taking training more seriously. Together with my Poly Classmate - Greg whom happened to be in the same gym as me, we've been training together and of course, motivating one another! My best training partner definitely - Guiding me in all exercises and showing me dem gains... I have so much more to work on, to improve and to learn. Seeing small results, slowly but practice, not perfection.

You'd probably see from my instagram already, I bought a new Baby G G-Lide Series Watch from Lazada Singapore when they had some sale going on - All new summer color 2015 for only $113 after discount! What a steal I'd say! It came with 1 year local supplier warranty and I'm in love with the fresh colour while working out in the gym already. A little mid-year present to myself, half a year into the working world, and many more years to go!

Monday, June 1, 2015

Have I really been thaaatt busy? I've only managed to squeeze in 1 post in May, compared to the months in March and April. Oh dear. My calendar isn't very happy about that. Well looking back, at least I took an awesome break back in the most relaxing City in Southeast Asia in May - Bangkok :P I wished you could see the grin on my face right now.

Previously on my Bangkok's Travelogue, I reviewed about Berkeley Hotel Pratunam, which we've stayed in for 7 nights - All that comfort hanging-out, all that workout mornings and all that jazz. This time, we grabbed a deal during Groupon's 7% Sale for a 5D4N deal at Hotel De Bangkok - One which Ju and I have stayed in one of our first trips to Bkk, with a complementary upgrade to superior room at only SGD$180 for 4 nights! What a deal - And I still love that place after visiting them in 2013 no less.

Our friends have got a huge corner room, a queen-sized and single-sized bed each and Ju and I obviously left the single-sized bed unused, and had the hugeee room to ourselves. I'm not kidding, and it was such an affordable and enjoyable stay. Just in case if you're wondering how long does it take to get to Pratunam Market, that's about 8-10 minutes walk away and 15 to Platinum Mall. A tuk-tuk ride would cost you 30-50 baht (if you bargain for it of course). The perks of this place also comes with superb accessibility to and from the Airport Rail Link. Ratchaprarop Station is only a 4 minutes walk away :P

Trust me when I say I loveee our hotel's location. It may be a little shady, but it never is too dodgy because we took a 15-20 minutes slow walk back after our dinner at Pla Tong Mookata. Yes that's how close it is from our hotel to Victory Monument station.

It's superr near Victory Monument, as well as Airport Rail Link. The hotel deal became such a steal!

Look at how our corridors are filled with all that natural light! Let there be light, I'd say. We are also 8 minutes away from an array of massage choices near our hotel, opposite Pratunam Market/ Indra Square. We call it "The Bridge" each time we communicate, so it became The Bridge it is. Most of the massages are located around the bridge access right in front of Indra Square, specifically outside of Watsons!

They range from 200 baht to 200 baht / hour. We usually head to the one located on the 2nd level of the overhead bridge (Clean and comfortable) or right below it (Pretty meh~). Had to deal with a sleeping masseuse one night when we arrived at 11pm and she was literally pressing my legs as though they're made of glass. You get the drift! It's either a hit or miss for these massages - Either you get the right masseuse or you just have to deal with the sucky hour long massages.

But, we tried something out of the ordinary this trip! This trip was made even better when we made an appointment at Health Land Spa, one of the biggest chains of Spa & Massage in Thailand. They provide better service than drop-in road-side massages, as well as rooms to accommodate for comfort based on your group size. We managed to get a room that fits 4 comfortably, and get massaged at the same time :) It's best to call up to make an appointment in advance, and it costs 500 baht for 2 hours - Non-negotiable. Click here for their spa menu and massage prices

Image Credits to BKKMenu.com

Here's one with the pretty ladies! Met my amazing gorgeous friends from Thailand this trip - Kwan & Praew! Thank you for the kind hospitality and the awesome food and ambience at Casa Lapin. It's pretty affordable, and slightly cheaper than the prices you'd find at Roast Bkk @ Thong Lor! We had coffee, wine and bruchy lunch over heartfelt talks, and a lot of discovery and re-discovery since it's the first time that we've actually met one another after being friends so long on LINE.

The beauty of Technology.

Of course, not missing out Ju and my favorite place to dine at - Roast Bkk @ Thong Lor. We got here on our previous trip due to lots of instagram recommendations and hashtags, and we finally decided that you'd have to pick the right kind of food off their menu to actually like their food. Definitely, not all food on a menu would taste as good as it looks, right?

They have since revamped their site to include new menu images and items here. Recommended are the Pulled Pork Burger, Johnny's Burger and Croque Madame.

Be warned, my previous post on my previous trip to Roast made me swear not to order their Roast Breakfast again, even if it comes with a free coffee in a set. It was the most expensive and horrible looking brunch ever. But that's okay. To compensate that one-time, we've ordered their extraordinary pulled-pork burger once again and this time, aced it. Their tomato soup is blended really well, creamy and thick and their sandwiches keeps your stomach and hunger pangs in check for the next few hours or so.

But Bangkok is a city, where you constantly get hungry. Because of the kind of food and delicacies they have (be it street-style, cafes or restaurants) their variety just gets to you with their prices and you'd want it all!

To end our very special trip, meeting very special friends this trip, we've celebrated a night at Myst @ Thong Lor with their infamous rainbow shots! No explanation needed, they're just sweet and yummy, a little toxic when you order the whole set more than once. They're approximately $2 SGD per shot, and let me warn you - It gets pretty addictive and you'd just want more. Awesome for pre-party starters. One thing to note is that Myst closes their door early at about 2am, so if you're looking to hang out late in the night, it's definitely a pre-party starter but definitely not a place to party at.

Take a taxi nearby to Onyx, Scratchdog or RCA to get the real party started!

Let me write more when I pick up and transfer the images from my camera to my laptop - for more itinerary to Talad Rod Fai Market 1 & 2!.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Have you seen the recent boom on sports luxe, or workout gear and fitness apparel trend? It's almost everywhere - I can't seem to hide from it, or breakaway from it. Pretty nice fitness gym apparels tempt the shit out of me, and can literally break my bank. But yet there are places to shop at in Singapore for such pretty workout clothes without breaking your bank - By that I mean, spending less than SGD50 each on tops, sports bra, tights, shorts and/or leggings. But where?

Previously I wrote a post on Forever 21's New Wave, literally. They sell the most affordable and comfortable type of swimwear (that can sometimes double up as sportswear) and activewear on their site, ever. If you ask me how many times do I go on their site to crawl for their new arrives in their active wear section, it's definitely before payday (to add the items to cart) and after payday (to add new items, if any) and check out.

I could buy 4 pieces and probably an entire set of sportswear and spend less than SGD100. It's possible! Most of the sports gear range from around SGD20-40.

I used to buy them online from Forever 21's US website, but not anymore since I found out that F21 outlet at Kallang Wave Mall also sells them! The plus point? You get to try them on in the fitting room! Ta-daaahhhh!

What's even better is that - For students, there is a 10% discount for purchases made on weekdays (I think it's Monday - Thursday) and it's a sweeeettttt (sweat) treat that you shouldn't miss out :) Well, if you are ever in need of a fix to get some sportswear without having to wait for long shipment timings, purchase your items in USD and get charged for local shipment via VPost, you know where to go now!

Here, I've even conveniently picked out what I liked to try! But I left it back on the rack to get my sister (still a student) to get it for me :P 10% off appx SGD100, $10 saved! A little savings go a long way :P

Also, here's one of my progress since I started to go back into my active routine 2 months back. Slowly easing into the weights, still managing some mini kayla workouts here and there and mainly getting the legs toned and the arms, stronger.

I haven't been diet friendly - My main goal is still having more protein and gaining a little more mass. I don't look the best right now, a little too small for my liking but imperfections are what that motivates you, and embracing them makes you perfect.

And yes, I wear my trusty JBL Synchros Reflect BT Earphones to the gym, just because it provides so much convenience, awesome sound quality and most importantly, tangle-free! It doesn't interfere with anything and I love how disconnected yet connected it makes me feel. *Playing pop songs in the background*